“Calm down a bit.”
Even after I spoke to Arni Duratan, who crossed her arms and pouted, she just rolled her eyes, clearly indicating her bad mood.
Back then, she radiated the vibe of a rough warrior who only knew swords. Has she changed because of love?
Feeling that aura of “I’m a girl,” I glanced at Ares. Poor guy, stuck in a dilemma where he can’t do anything.
Wanting to know about the marks on his hands while knowing that siding with me would make his girlfriend super upset.
“Hey, your boyfriend could be in danger. What’s the problem with a few kisses?”
“Not happening.”
Irritated by the delay, Mei scratched her head and then Rin shot up and came over to me.
“Can’t we just show it? Daniel, pout your lips.”
“Hey! Wait a second!”
Rin immediately brought her face close. I was sitting on the bed and panicked, rapidly backing away while Mei rushed over.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I can’t help it!”
“Then I…!”
The two started bickering again.
I’ve heard they’re from Class A, but how did they end up sharing a room?
“Enough already. Arni, I get your feelings, but this is important for Ares too. That’s why we’re talking about it with you, his girlfriend.”
I subtly hinted that if it weren’t important, I would’ve kicked them out, and Arni hesitated, scratching the floor with her finger.
“Fine. But! The reason I’m angry isn’t because of the kisses! It’s not because you’re teasing us either!”
“Hmm? Then?”
“I, I missed my chance to use the room! I won’t be able to use it properly!”
With a flash, Arni lifted her face, red with embarrassment. From what I heard earlier, it seemed she was planning to move to the room I was in. Did she ask her roommate to sleep somewhere else for a day?
“……”
Ares kept his mouth shut, but by the look on his face, he agreed with Arni.
They’re discussing the end of the world, but their reproduction and pleasure seem to be more important, huh?
Anyway, it’s late. If we drag this out any longer, some people won’t wake up tomorrow.
“Okay, I’ll clear the room for you tomorrow. Just don’t use my bed.”
At that, Ares and Arni smiled brightly and nodded in agreement. Ugh, they’re so happy.
Seeing their joy didn’t feel too bad. I thought they were going crazy before, but seeing them genuinely like each other was refreshing.
The reaction wasn’t just from the couple.
“Daniel, come sleep in our room.”
“Oh! That sounds nice!”
Rin and Mei shot their hands up, but of course, I refused.
“Don’t worry, I can ask other boys.”
I thought I could crash in one of the boys’ rooms, but Rin tilted her head and asked.
“You don’t have any close guy friends, do you?”
“What do you mean?”
With a bewildered expression, I tried to name a few close male friends, but—
“Uhm… uh.”
None.
Seriously, there isn’t a single one.
Realizing that Ares is the only name coming to mind made me seriously ponder how I’ve been living at the Academy.
“Anyway, I’ll manage, so don’t worry about that.”
Naturally curling my fingers, I mumble.
If it comes to it, I could just sleep outside. I’ve lived in the Forest of the Demon Realm before; sleeping in an alley in a tourist city should be a piece of cake.
“Let’s change the topic. It’s about the marks on Ares and Rin.”
The atmosphere finally calmed down. The four of them sat around me, focusing.
“Does anyone not know that I went to the royal palace recently?”
Ares and Arni shot their hands up. Especially Arni looked startled as she asked.
“Wait, is it about the recent incident of Prince Oliver being deposed…?”
“Yeah, I was involved. But it’s not that important.”
Arni murmured to herself, wondering what could be more important than deposing a prince. Since Ares gave a warning, she kept her mouth shut for now.
“I faced a woman called the Priestess of Time there. The ability she had…”
I summarized my encounter with the Priestess as much as I could and started explaining how I read her memory due to the ‘Balance of Time’ technique.
“The Priestess’s goal was to stop the power of the mark that Rin holds. And the people who assist in that are referred to as ‘Guardians’.”
I pointed to Ares.
“One of them is you, Ares. The mark from the Sun God Helios on you is meant to stop Rin.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Ares.
He glanced down at the markings on both hands, then slowly turned his gaze to Rin.
“But I have no intention of killing Rin.”
“Same here. I don’t want to be killed by Ares either.”
“……”
I tried to say something cool, but Rin calmly returned my words. Arni comforted the miserable-looking Ares, saying he was cool.
“No way! We must keep Rin alive at all costs. Her death is a prelude to disaster.”
Some were shocked; some sighed in relief.
Killing a classmate just because she could be a disaster wouldn’t feel good; saving her was far more mentally stable.
‘It might start through other means too, though.’
Rin and I exchanged unspoken glances. There was no point in delving deeper; it would only stir up unease.
“By the way, what level of disaster are we talking about, though? Is it something Daniel can’t stop?”
Mei raised her hand to ask.
The couples nodded along, looking at me, and Rin expressed her doubts.
I paused for a moment, but there wasn’t much to ponder.
“Just think of it as lots of people being in severe pain and getting hurt. It’s hard for me to stop.”
“Sounds like a pretty juvenile explanation.”
She said that, but she didn’t press further. Quick-witted Mei picked up that I didn’t want to talk about it and naturally passed it over.
“Ares, make sure you practice using your mark’s power. You’ll probably need it at some point.”
“Got it.”
“Same goes for you, Rin. You’re doing well now, but you should be able to hold the reins more tightly. If you need help, I’ll assist.”
“Thanks!”
“Other two, help each other out when you can. Arni, you’re Ares’s girlfriend, so you’ll stick around him, and Mei, you’re in the same class as Rin.”
“We’ll need to spend even more time together!”
“Ew, with her?”
Mei displayed her genuine distaste, but Rin wore a similar expression. I didn’t know Rin could make such a face; how refreshing.
“I’ll also look into others who have marks like you.”
So far, I’ve met four beings with marks.
Rin, chosen by the Goddess of Death.
Ares Helias, chosen by the Sun God Helios.
Eris Anen Seriere, chosen by Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon, Hunting, and Chastity.
Mikaela Romers, chosen by Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty and Love.
“I heard Mikaela got the death penalty.”
The bishops strongly condemned her for humiliating the cathedral along with Batian’s mass brainwashing, leading to news of her execution.
‘The Priestess of Time didn’t have a mark.’
I thought she’d have a mark from the Goddess of Time, but in the memories that flowed back, she had none.
“But do you have nothing?”
Arni’s voice emerged from the depths of thought. Her eyes were sharply directed at me.
Likewise, the other students also turned their gaze to me, each chiming in.
“Right. Daniel seems like he’d have something.”
“God of Destruction! Or the God of Swords! Something like that, right?”
Rin and Mei chattered excitedly, but I shook my head.
“I don’t have any markings.”
“That’s uncertain. You can’t check places like your back, can you?”
Ares’s sharp question struck me unexpectedly. Suddenly, Mei’s eyes flickered with excitement, and she jumped up.
“Let’s check! Take it off!”
“First, wipe your drool.”
“Slurp.”
Mei wiped her drool with her sleeve but didn’t stop moving.
Seeing Rin squirm and try to get up, I pushed past the two and headed to the restroom.
“Ares, come! You can check!”
“Ugh, I don’t want to!”
You little—
Though he said that, Ares followed behind reluctantly. We had a brief moment inside the restroom.
“Nothing here.”
Ares coolly replied.
“I checked thoroughly, just in case.”
He was thorough. He checked even between my toes. Anyway, with our awkward and gross feelings as a sacrifice, we confirmed something.
I don’t have the mark of a god.
“Now, the most important thing. We have a lead on someone who might know more about these marks.”
This also came from the memory gained from the Priestess of Time, but it has long been an uneasy question for me.
“When exactly did Ares get his mark?”
“It was when we were preparing for the play at the festival. I got it while swinging a sword on the rooftop that night.”
“Right? But there was someone who had been sticking to you weirdly even before that.”
It wouldn’t matter after getting the mark.
But before Ares had a mark, there was someone who obsessively clung to him.
As if they knew his mark was about to appear.
“Who?”
Mei asked, utterly confused, and I recalled one man.
“Heaven Len.”
Hayun’s uncle and a fervent follower of the Priestess of Time.
Moreover, he tried to draw Ares into his family using Hayun.
Before Ares received his mark.
“Isn’t that strange? All Ares had was his good looks, yet the Len family forced Hayun to try to woo Ares.”
A noble family begging a commoner like Ares?
Now that the Priestess of Time is dead, the only one who can unravel this puzzle is Heaven Len.
Especially since Hayun recently said things were suspicious on his end, my certainty deepened.
“Beating that pig will definitely reveal something.”
